


Wakfu: Modern Day - Adrenaline

by WishingStarInAJar



Series: Fragments - Alternate Universe short stories [5]
Category: Original Work, Wakfu
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ambassador Fluff - Freeform, Canon Character - Freeform, F/M, Fan Characters, First Meetings, Fluff, General fiction, Literature, Shipping, Street Racing, fan fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-06
Updated: 2018-06-06
Packaged: 2019-05-19 02:06:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14864603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WishingStarInAJar/pseuds/WishingStarInAJar
Summary: A modern spin on the world of Wakfu.





	Wakfu: Modern Day - Adrenaline

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer:** I am an absolute noob when it comes to real life street racing so I took many liberties to fit it into this universe. 

“What do you mean you can’t make it?” Alys’ grip around the steering wheel tightened, the leather of her white gloves quietly scrunching.

“I told you, girl,” sounded a voice from the phone’s speaker,” I’m stuck in traffic. I can’t move for or backwards, I’m wedged in. I think some accident happened up ahead.” 

The voice fell silent when a distant melody swelled in volume like an orchestra before turning into the rhythmic roaring of police and ambulance sirens, the faint flickering of red and blue lights visible along the right side of the phone’s screen. The Eliatrope intently leered at the phone attached to the handsfree set on her dashboard, the screen showing the familiar but bothered looking Sram she got well acquainted with. Varessi was barely in shot, even more so when she leaned away to look out of her window after two police cars escorted an ambulance through the opposite lanes.

“Fuck…” Her voice became clearer after the wailing of the sirens gradually diminished and she slumped back in her seat, a hand combing through her short lavender hair,” yeah, this is going to take a while. How long until the race starts? Half an hour?”

“They already started the ten minute countdown,” Alys said and ducked a little to see the digital timer further down the road,” it’s go time soon.” She eyed the other cars surrounding hers, an almost neatly lined queue of flashy paint jobs and neon lights down a usually deserted street which was transformed into the track’s starting point. Engines revved with impatience and people rushed around to get ready as the seconds visibly ticked down, a small audience gathered behind the low fences.

Varessi groaned and muttered,” shit… I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, this isn’t your fault,” Alys said as she smiled at her phone’s front camera,” should I forfeit…?”

The Sram became larger on the display screen after she leaned closer with a shaking of her head. “No, keep the engine running and don’t give up your spot; I might be able to make it just in time. Or, well, I’ll try at least. I’ll give you another ring when I reach the parking lot. Sit tight, okay?”

Alys nodded with a quiet “I will”, sitting a little stiff in her seat. She can’t do this race without a navigator and co-driver, not if she wanted a chance of being in the top ten. The top ten was enough of a boost to promote Varessi’s mechanic shop of which the logo was plastered across the rear quarter panels of her car, and to become a slightly larger blip on the street racing scene radar. 

She pushed down clutch and gas pedal to make her car sing and express her increasing nerves. It revved like a purring tiger, the vibrations increasing before they settled when she slowly took her feet off the pedals. This was going to be an excruciating wait, she thought to herself as she watched the digital timer as if it announced the end of the world, each passing second only making her internal screaming louder and louder.

The truth was far too clear; her co-driver wasn’t going to make it. She glanced at her phone, the screen black after Varessi hung up and reflecting the interior of her car and her pensive self. Seven more minutes. Six more minutes. Five more minutes. 

Her turquoise gaze skipped around until it glided over the audience. It wasn’t anything grand; many of the present people were either friends or supporters of the participating drivers, having a smoke, laugh or drink while they waited for the starting sign to be given. Nobody had eyes for her or her blue and white car, the vehicle lacking the pizzaz other cars were decked out with. Other than the racing stripes and Varessi’s logo, there was nothing else to draw attention with.

Four more minutes.

She sucked in her lower lip and bit on it as another minute had disappeared far too quickly. It was going to be a miracle if Varessi were to suddenly show up. It wasn’t going to happen. She pressed her teeth harder into the soft flesh of her lip until she caught sight of someone standing on the track’s side of the fences. Was it a kid? Unsupervised and on the track? That was dangerous.

Her eyebrows knitted together into a worried frown as she observed the short person wearing a blue hoodie and khaki shorts, their face hidden in the shadow of the hood which was pulled far over their head. Was it one of her kids, or one which attended the school she taught at? Wait… No, she was wrong. This wasn’t a kid at all. 

Surprise and embarrassment crept on her when their gazes suddenly crossed and locked, the pair of eyes hidden within the hood far too mature in tone to belong to a child. She swallowed after she was caught in the act of staring, hoping the short man wouldn’t guess what she was thinking. Was he alone?

Three.

She saw the red glowing numbers on the timer change at the edge of her vision, panic beginning to set in. _Come on, Sisi_ … It was growing far too late to withdraw from the race and driving alone was going to be nothing but a disaster. She looked back to the blue hoodie as he lingered by the fence, apparently admiring her car as his head and long nose slowly turned to the right while his eyes crept across the exterior towards the tail lights.

Should she--? Why not.

She pushed the button to roll down the window on the passenger side before she leaned towards it and pushed her cap up so her face was visible. “Excuse me?” She had to speak up to be heard over the chorus of engines, music and loudly talking though easily caught the stranger’s attention as she was in the car he was examining. “Hey, sorry,” she said with an anxious smile,” I’m kind of in a hurry, but how well do you know this city?”

There wasn’t an answer at first, then again, it was a strange question to ask out of the blue. She waited with growing impatience and was about to repeat her question when he answered her,” pretty well.”

 _Thank the Goddess_. “And your map reading skills?” She threw a quick glance at the timer, the number three switching down to two.

The short man looked a little confused at her second question, the arms which were crossed over his chest uncoiling before he said with a cocked head and squinted eyes,” decent.”

“Perfect.” Alys frantically grabbed for the door handle to yank it back before giving the unlocked door a push to swing it open, quickly adding as she sat back up in her seat,” get in.” Her gaze flickered between him and the timer, seeing him hesitate. Yes, this was crazy, even she had to agree with that but she wanted this to happen. She needed a co-driver, now. “Come on,” she invited him with a beckoning of a hand, the relief she felt as he came over sobering her a little.

He slid into the empty passenger seat, the look in his eyes suspicious as he cautiously reached for the open door to pull it shut. He looked her up and down when the door closed with its usual slam and the seating’s padding creaked, uncertain what to make of this whole thing. He sat up more when Alys suddenly held a folded up map to him, the paper almost touching his nose. 

“Just follow the red line on the map, tell me when and in which direction to turn,” she explained without looking at him, her focus burning a hole through the timer,” those blue circles? Those are checkpoints. Let me know when we approach one.”

The map was far too large for him but he unfolded it to see what she was talking about, noticing the red line and the blue circles. They were drawn onto the map with colored glitter markers, and the circles… they oddly resembled Zaaps with their shapes and little stripes. He threw a sideways glance at the woman, noticing the design of the cap she wore. An Eliatrope… That explained it.

“Buckle up.”

Her words caught him by surprise but not as much as when the squealing of tires shrieked and the car swayed a little, the whole track suddenly emitting a loud cry of engines roaring after ten beeps echoed through the air. The car launched forward once the back tires found a grip on the asphalt and she released the clutch and shifted into gear with a few rapid flicks of her wrist, soon leaving the starting point and several cars behind her.

The momentum pushed him back into the seat before he blindly grabbed for the seatbelt to put it on, startled by the abrupt shift in atmosphere and scenery. Streetlights flashed by at rapid speed, the blinking of police lights guiding the way as side streets were temporarily blocked off to prevent accidents. 

“Tell me when the next turn comes up.” She sounded calm, her eyes on the road. Her hands were continuously in motion while her feet caressed the gas pedal and the brakes to adjust the speed, every move calculated. She knew how to drive, how the car would respond to her control.

The map crinkled as the stranger tried to collect himself and find where they were on the map, feeling a little jumbled with getting pulled into the unexpected. He bumped into the door when Alys turned the wheel to sharply round a corner, a corner he should have warned her for. He shook his head to be rid of the haze and readjusted his focus on the map after the car leveled and flew down the street at breakneck speed, figuring out where they currently were. “Second turn to the left,” he said with a finger pointed at the map, his cooperation and guidance making her smile.

The rounding of the second corner was more smoothly and didn’t fling the small guy around in his seat, soon invested in the thrill as he timely pointed out every turn, speed bump and checkpoint marked on the map while she adjusted and listened to his instructions. They soon left the busy city streets behind them to race through the suburbs and deserted roads, The tail lights of two of the others racers ahead of them while the familiar sight of police lights warned them for blocked off intersections and side streets.

A sudden smooth melody could be heard over the purring of the engine, the phone attached to the dashboard vibrating in its holder while lighting up with two round buttons and a photo of Varessi with an overdone duck face, the Sram almost smooching the screen. “Can you press the green button for me, please?” the Eliatrope asked after she quickly glanced at the phone, not wanting to take her hands off the steering wheel and shift stick while she was fixated on catching up with the drivers in front of her. 

He was quick to oblige, his task to call out turns and checkpoints having grown less after they traversed the maze of the city. The tanned Sram appeared on the screen after he tapped the green button on the touchscreen, the look on her face beyond worried. 

“Hey Sisi, you finally escaped traffic?”

“Alys, where are you? I’ve been looking all over for you!” There was a short pause before a gasp sounded over the speaker and the camera suddenly zoomed in on the tip of her nose as she nearly shoved her own phone into her face. “Are you driving? You’re driving. Why are you driving? Wait, you’re not racing, are you? Oh my God, you’re racing! _Girl_!”

Alys’ smile received a flustered edge after Varessi called her out. “I panicked,” she chuckled a little dryly,” time was ticking and you weren’t going to make it. So--” She didn’t finish her sentence, not needing to explain it; it was fairly obvious what happened. “I’m sorry…”

“Damn it, you know you can’t do this course by yourself while you’re behind the wheel; you’ll flounder like baby Nemo! Or worse, end up like Nemo’s mom!”

She wasn’t wrong… and is was why Alys took desperate measures. “I found someone to help me out,” she reassured, wanting to look her friend in the eye so her genuinity would come better across but she couldn’t take the risk of looking away from the road ahead for more than a split second,” he’s a lifesaver.”

Varessi frowned and leaned away from her phone as if it suddenly emitted a strange odor, her confusion rather apparent on her face. Her mouth crooked downward in surprise and her eyes grew larger with high raising eyebrows when someone wearing a hoodie came into view and quietly rose a hand in greeting, the Sram stumped as she didn’t recognize the stranger sitting in the passenger seat. “The fuck…? Wow, okay,” she finally managed to say, a short laugh following,” I did _not_ see that one coming. Alright, sure, I can live with that but if something happens to you or our car, his ass is mine. Got it?”

An amused chuckle escaped Alys before she winked at her navigating “savior” before saying rather cheerily,“ loud and clear.”

Her answer was pleasing enough for the Sram, the Eliatrope’s attitude reassuring that she wasn’t in bad company or in trouble. “Call me after you cross the finish, alright? Or if anything else comes up.”

“Will do, I promise. I’ll talk to you soon.” She shared a quick wave with her friend visible on the screen before she caught a glimpse of Varessi doing the “I’m watching you” motion with two fingers towards the short man holding the map, the smile she held supposedly there to show she was merely teasing but Alys knew better. The screen went black after the Sram’s long and high pitched goodbye got cut off, silence returning in the car.

Alys put more pressure on the gas pedal, having slowed down a little during the conversation as it was a little distracting. She glanced from the corner of her eyes to her passenger, his attention back on the map while he traced the red line with a finger. She shifted a little in her seat and pushed herself into the padding as she stretched her arms and tightened her hold on the steering wheel, hesitation surfacing. It was starting to grow a little awkward inside the car after Varessi made a few things clear, the realization she had literally kidnapped a stranger making her break a sweat.

“The final checkpoint will be coming up within two minutes, I reckon.”

“Great, thank you.” Oh Goddess, this really was awkward. She bit her lip to withhold on her embarrassment, or at least to try and push its ugly head down before she said with a weakened smile,” I’m Alys.” 

Her introduction was a little late, or well, very late. He looked up from the map and past the brim of his hoodie to look at her, making direct eye contact before she averted her gaze to not get flustered by how direct he was, and to not lose sight of the road. “Joris.” She could hear he was smiling by the tone of his voice and it lessened her rising nerves a little. Hopefully she didn’t put him in an uncomfortable position by saddling him up with map reading duty…

She arched a brow when the bright shine of headlights lit up her mirrors before a car passed and slid in front of hers, pushing her back a nudge. Their red tail lights became smaller as the car ahead picked up speed and flew by the checkpoint, leaving Alys in the dust. She blinked before she looked befuddled at Joris with a sideways glance, both thinking the same as he gave her a nod not too long after. His quiet encouragement and the sparkle in his eyes gave her confidence before she shifted gears and pressed the gas further down, her car humming louder.

The race was back on, the attempt to catch up on the other car making their hearts pump with pure adrenaline. The finish was inching closer with each second and slight curve in the road and while Alys couldn’t manage to surpass the car which dared to drive by her, she was completely absorbed in driving. The view of the city lighting up the star-speckled sky in the distance wasn’t noticed by her, the speedometer and rev counter on her dashboard getting her attention instead. 

The finish wasn’t anything grand, the fairy lights which were strung between electricity poles welcoming any of the participants while a digital display mercilessly showed the number of cars which already crossed the finish line, its red LEDs beckoning the drivers over from the distance. Someone wearing a reflective jacket and holding a flag stood by the side of the road, frantically waving the thing as the cars zoomed by. 

Alys howled in excitement after the digital display ticked up from number nine to ten when she passed the finish line, her cheering deafening before it was overtaken by happy laughter. Top ten! Incredible, she surely didn’t expect it, not with the odd change in events. She almost forgot to take her foot off the pedal as she wiggled in her seat and drummed the steering wheel, slowing down but not stopping. She passed the well-lit parking lot which was already occupied with other cars and drivers which had crossed the finish line before her, either celebrating or merely hanging out to enjoy the atmosphere, music or a drink.

Joris sat up in his seat to look at the parking lot as it became apparent Alys wasn’t going to turn the car around and join the other drivers there, the well-lit area and multi-colored dots fading into the distance. He was about to ask if she wasn’t going to join her fellow racers when he felt a nudge against the side of his head and a loud “mwah”, the sudden gesture freezing him in his seat.

She straightened after she planted a grateful vocal kiss against his hoodie in the midst of the rush, the scenery no longer flashing by like it did before as she followed the actual speed limit. She was beaming, the excitement coloring her cheeks a deep red. “Want me to drop you off somewhere?” she asked before adding,” or, if you don’t have anywhere to be, I could take you out to dinner. I know a nice coffee place with delicious pastries, hot dogs and pizza. My treat, as an apology for kidnapping you.”

He chuckled under his breath after he shook off the surprise and folded up the map with the glitter marker drawn Zaaps and lines, saying with a nod and a hidden grin,” deal.”


End file.
